"Fontainebleau's famous forest is one of the largest in France, encompassing 50,000 acres. The chateau, in all its stupefying glory, wouldn’t exist without the Forest of Fontainebleau. This was the playground of Renaissance king François I, who spent so much time on the royal hunting grounds that he decided to expand the existing medieval castle into a royal chateau. (Why camp out in the Loire Valley when you have access to game-packed forest much closer to Paris?) Stags and wild boar still roam the woods—you’ll notice warning signs on the road. In the 19th century, the forest starred on the canvases of the Barbizon school painters, like Jean-Francois Millet and Camille Corot. Today, Fontainebleau Forest continues to inspire artists, as it does outdoors enthusiasts, who flock for hiking, cycling, and bouldering." - Lindsey Tramuta, Mary Winston Nicklin
